Card the moon
Chapter 49 – Fallout
…
Hogwarts buzzed as the school year drew to a close and everyone readied to return home. It was like this every year; he was usually indifferent to it, lacking the sort of home he'd be eager to go back to.
"I think his face is broken."
"No, no, someone just painted a smile on while he was sleeping."
"Oh, honestly."
Things were different this year. He was smiling, he couldn't help it. He'd been doing it since Amelia Bones flattened Snape and he had yet to stop. He'd worn it while he slept, he could tell because his face really hurt when he woke up; not enough for him to frown though.
"I'm not sure I should show you this," said Hermione from across the table.
The newspaper was the day's issue, and she was reading it discreetly, "Something happen I should know about?"
"Yes. And when you see it, I'm afraid of what you might do. That smile is already scaring me."
She had good reason to fear. The front page had an enormous picture of Sirius, looking much healthier and more sane than in any picture he'd seen since he heard the name Sirius Black.
TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE: SIRIUS BLACK, INNOCENT, JAILED WITHOUT TRIAL
He wasn't the only one reacting to the headline, though that buzz seemed more uncertainty than jubilee. People didn't know what to think after being told for nearly a year to be afraid of him.
"Harry? You're not going to explode, are you?" asked Katie Bell.
He just might, "Good news," he said. "Nothing but good news."
"Not quite," said Dean Thomas, sitting down on the other side of Ron. "I just heard Lupin got sacked."
A chorus of "what!" followed this revelation.
"Turns out he's a werewolf. Don't really care myself, I mean, he's been here all year and nobody got hurt."
Technically not true, but those getting hurt had nothing to do with Lupin.
The news of his favorite teacher getting the boot pulled down Harry's perma-smile, "I've got to talk to him. I'll see you guys on the train."
He pushed through the crowds and made a beeline for Lupin's office. He found the door open, and the man in question packing.
"So it's true? You are leaving?"
Lupin smiled, a tired, weary smile, "I have tendered my resignation," he said. "News of my condition has become public knowledge and, well, let's just say I'm used to it."
Harry had little doubt who had made that knowledge public, spiteful bastard.
"By tomorrow the letters will be flying, and I've no intention of putting the headmaster through all that. He's defended me more than enough times."
"I wish you'd let him do it again. I don't want you to go. None of us want you to go."
There was a perceptible shift in his posture, his tired smile brightened just a bit, "Now that is not entirely true."
He handed Harry a letter that had been sitting on his desk. Confused, Harry read it, and suddenly, things didn't seem so bad.
"We bunged things up when we were young; Sirius and I both. He needs me now. And isn't it convenient I suddenly find myself with a great deal of time on my hands."
"Is this why you did it then?" Harry asked.
"No," he replied. "But it is rather serendipitous, don't you think?"
The last of his things floated into his suitcase which shut with a click. It felt very final.
"So, this is where we say goodbye then?"
"No Harry, not goodbye," the tired man said. "You and I will be seeing each other very soon I suspect, but in the meantime."
The painful smile returned to the young wizard's face when Lupin pulled a familiar piece of ratty old parchment from his coat and handed it to Harry, "Since I am no longer your teacher, I have no qualms in returning this to you."
…
"Say that last part again, Jadeite."
The disgraced general gulped, "They know I am their teacher."
His fellow generals stood off to the side looking various shades of grateful; grateful it wasn't them who'd screwed up, grateful it wasn't them on their knees in front of a very angry Beryl, grateful they weren't the ones about to die.
Metallia swirled like dark fog, dangerously close to his queen. He could almost make out the wicked whispers the ancient god dripped into her ears. Poison against him, he was sure of it. No amount of cheesecake was going to save him now.
"This is most disconcerting Jadeite," she said after a long pause. "Not only do we have four more Sailor scouts, but they know you. This failure, it is most disappointing."
"I am sorry." The words slipped out before he could stop them.
He was still tired and battered; his normally silver tongue had turned to lead.
"I do not tolerate such failure among my subordinates Jadeite," she said. "Standards must be maintained."
"I will redeem myself," he babbled, as fear overrode common sense. "I will hunt them all, wherever they may be and bring down the full power of the Negaverse upon their heads."
Torture would also be involved. He only knew the identity of one, but she surely could tell him who the others were, with a little coercion.
Yes, torture and murder, that was the key. Sadly, it didn't fit the door in front of him, he knew this when he put it into the lock, and the lock went, "Actually."
…
"So, when you say all year, you mean all year?"
"No Ron, when I say all year, I mean just a couple weeks."
He felt for his friend, he really did. Finding out just how much had been happening right under his nose for so long must have been hard. That didn't mean Harry wouldn't tease him when he said something stupid.
"Is that why you seemed so tired back then, cuz you were fighting these—watchacallit?"
"Youma."
"Yeah. Cor, and I thought the dementors were bad."
"They are," said Harry. "They just weren't in the castle."
"Yeah…"
"You got something to say, say it."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"If I had, what would you have said?"
The ginger mumbled.
"Exactly. You didn't like Luna and we didn't know Scabbers was, not really Scabbers."
"Can you believe I've been sleeping with him for years!"
"Try not to think about it," it probably wouldn't help, but you never know.
"You sure Hermione's already on here. We gotta be almost at the end now."
They'd been traversing the Hogwarts express as they conversed on recent events, looking for their female friend who'd gone on ahead to save them a compartment.
"We're in here Ron," someone called from down near the end.
"How'd she know I was looking?"
"You're not a quiet complainer Ron."
They reached the compartment which they discovered to be full of much more than Hermione.
"I see we're all here," said Harry.
Hermione sat by the window with Su Li reading next to her and Katie sitting just across. And…
"What're you doing here Luna?"
The cat looked at him like the question perplexed her, "And where else would I be. I belong to this one."
Ron stared at the cat then shook his head, "That is still weird," he said, "and I meant that Luna."
The girl called Lovegood sat next to Katie, innocently staring at the plushie in her lap who stared back with great intensity.
"Hello Ronald," she said, never averting her gaze.
"You two know each other?"
"She lives next door."
Pieces fell into place, "She's the crazy girl next door?"
"Well, that's not very nice," said Hermione.
"Could we get in the damn compartment already!"
Harry took Ron by the shoulder when he tried to turn around to 'not' see the person yelling at him. The doors closed, something rippled and suddenly there was a girl where none had been a moment ago. It wouldn't have been so bad if she weren't wearing a green tie.
"What's she doing here!"
Daphne arched a delicate eyebrow as she handed Harry his invisibility cloak, "You know they said you were charming, and here I thought they were having me on."
Ron scowled at the sassy blonde and flinched back when she drew her wand.
"Easy," Harry said, "she's not here to fight."
"Then why is she here," he asked as the Slytherin girl proceeded to black out the windows facing into the train.
"You wanted an explanation; well, she's part of that."
"She's got some explaining to do as well," said Hermione. "Not that I'm complaining about you all saving me, but I'd like to know how you knew I needed saving."
"Why doesn't everyone have a seat," said Luna, getting yet another look and a mumbled 'weird' from Ron.
None the less, he took the seat on her side, squeezing in next to Su Li who put down her book, leaving only one seat on the opposite side open.
"Guess someone's gonna have to sit on the floor," said Ron, looking not at all kindly at Daphne.
"I don't think that'll be necessary," said Luna, picking up Kero and giving Ron more questions to ask when she summoned a floating cloud and parked herself under the window.
"Just what the bloody hell have I missed?"
So they told him. And told him. And told him. It wasn't till they were forced to tell it that they all realized just how much they'd done over the course of a year. Daphne, rather out of character, openly admitted to being impressed.
"But you walked away. You said you didn't want to be involved."
"I didn't," she said. "I still don't, tell the truth. But the cat made a good point when we talked later, and besides, there are more ways to fight a war than just on the battlefield."
"Talked later?" Hermione stared at her cat.
"Talked privately," said the cat, pretending she didn't notice. "It seemed the best way to do it."
"Best way to do what?" Harry wondered.
"Recruit a spy."
Ron scoffed, "Typical Slytherin."
"Say what you will Weasley," the typical Slytherin said, "but if I hadn't been spying, we never would have found out Professor Jade was Jadeite in time to save her. As it was, we barely made it in time."
"Time, yeah," the ginger grumbled. "Still having trouble getting my head around that one. What was McGonagall thinking?"
"It's not so hard to figure out," Hermione retorted. "But what I don't understand is how 'you' got the Head of Magical Law Enforcement to Hogwarts so fast. For that matter, how did you even know how to contact her?"
"You remember the girl who got possessed by the SWORD card?"
"Susan Bones, right?"
"That was her aunt. She told me all about her when I went to visit her in the hospital wing afterward." She told him about a lot of things, some she probably wished she hadn't but something about his presence seemed to have deprived her of any control of her mouth.
"The power of connections," Daphne remarked.
Further comment was interrupted by a scratching and scraping at the window.
"Is that an owl?"
"Open the window."
The tiny owl zipped into the compartment and headed straight for Harry. Seeker quick reflexes caught the tiny creature just short of his face; the little bird hooted excitedly.
"Who's that from then?" asked Katie, taking the owl who hooted and squirmed happily while Harry opened the letter it'd been carrying.
"Well, what's it about?"
He didn't read the letter aloud, but the grin that stole across his face said a great deal.
"It's from Sirius, isn't it?" Hermione guessed.
Harry nodded, "Hey Ron, he says the owl is for you if you want him. To replace—you know."
Katie handed Ron the owl and the ginger looked at the energetic little ball of feathers uncertainly. "Well— guess I can keep him." Then he added, "But he's not getting into my bed, you here me?"
The tiny owl hooted and ruffled his feathers happily.
"Well, alright then."
